Wire-netting machine



-3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

G. F. WRIGHT. WIRE NETTING MACHINE. No. 561,303. Patent-ed June2,1896..-

(No Model.) 3 Sneaks-Sheet 2. G. P. WRIGHT.

WIRE NETTING MACHINE.

No. 561,303. Patent edJune 2, 1896.

3 SheetsSl1eet; 3,

(N0 Model.)

NlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE FLETCHER \VRIGHT, OF WVORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

WIRE-NETTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 561,303, dated June 2,1896. Application filed February 19, 1892. Serial lilo. 422,132. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE FLETCHER lVRIGHT, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inire-Netting Machines, of which the following is a specification,accompanied by drawings representing a machine for making wirenettingand embodying my invention, and in which Figure 1 represents a frontView of so much of the machine as comprises the operative mechanism bywhich the meshes of the netting are formed. Fig. 2 is a top view of thesame with the take-up roll removed, the section being taken on line 2 2,Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view of the same. Fig. 4 is a top view of twopairs of wire-holdingjaws shown in position during the operation oftwisting the wires. Fig. 5 is a top view of the same with the jawswithdrawn, showing their position while the jaw-supporting carriages arebeing shifted. Fig. 6 is an enlarged central vertical sectional view online 6 6, Fig. 2. Fig. 7 represents two of the wire jaws in front View,the corresponding and opposing jaws having been removed, and alsoshowing the position of the wires with reference to the wire-jaws at thebeginning of the twisting op-' eration. Fig. 8 is a sectional view ofthe wirejaws and the upper ends of the stationary wire-tube, said jawsbeing shown as separated or in their position while the wire-carriagesare being shifted. Fig. 9 is a sectional view on line 9 9, Fig. 6.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the different figures.

My invention relates to certain improvements in machines for makingwire-netting, and particularly to that class of wire-netting machines inwhich the wires are twisted together in opposite directions, making onehalf of each twist a right-hand twist and the other half a left-handtwist.

The object of my present invention is to provide means whereby the wiresto be twisted may be gathered together and twisted above and below thewire-holdin g jaws without pro ducing a lateral strain upon thewire-twistin g mechanism. and without requiring the use of atwisting-pin inserted between the wires.

resented so much of a machine for making wire-netting as will clearlyset forth the nature and operation of my present improve ment.

A denotes the supporting-table, having a central opening A, Fig. 6,through which the wires a are conducted to the twisting mechanism fromspools or bobbins beneath the table, but not shown in the drawings.

Held in a fixed position upon the table A is a plate B, provided uponits ends and rear side with a flange B, on which is supported a flangedframe B forming a chamber B be tween the frame B and plate B. Theflanged frame B is provided with a series of semicircular recesses inwhich are j ournaled a series of half-cylinders 0, (shown in transversesectional view in Fig. 9,) and provided at their upper and lower ends byflanges O, which are inclosed by the semicircular flanges O of thecylinder-holder 0 attached by screws 0 to the flanged frame B Thehalf-oylinder O is provided with gearteeth 0 which are engaged bya rack0, capable of a sliding movement within the frame B and to the upperportion of the half-cylinder O is attached a wire-holding jaw D.

A wire-tube E (shown in central sectional view-in Fig. 6) is attached tothe fixed plate B by means of screws, one of which is indicated by thebroken lines E, Fig. 6. The wire-tube E extends upwardly nearly theentire length of the half-cylinder O and is providedwith a central holeEithrough which passes one of the wires to be twist-ed.

Sliding upon ways Z) 19 upon the bed A is a plate F, to one edge ofwhich are attached the wire-tubes E similar to the wire-tubes E.

G denotes a flanged frame, capable of sliding in ways G transversely tothe plate F, and provided with a series of semicircular recesses, inwhich are journaled the half-cylinders H, provided with gear-teeth 11similar to the half-cylinder C, so that when the frames G and B arebrought together and their semicircular recesses made to correspond, thehalfcylinders C and II will be matched together, forming a series ofcylinders journaled within the flanged frames B and G and capable ofbeing rotated around the wire-tubes E and E by means of the longitudinalmovement of the rack 0 engaging the teeth C and II.

The half-cylinder II has a wire-holding jaw I attached to its upper end,similar to the wireholding jaw D, attached to the half-cylinder C, andupon the upper surface of the wireholding jaw I is attached a plate J,having a triangular notch J, at the apex of which is a narrow recess Jthe distance between the opposite sides 0 0 being equal to the diameterof the wires a a to be twisted and its depth being equal to twice thediameter of the wires. The wires a a are carried through the holes inthe wire-tubes E and E and their upper ends attached to a take-up rollK. The flanged frame G is then moved toward the flanged frame 13carrying the half-cylinder O, the flanged frame G being moved by meansof the hand-lever L from the position shown in Figs. 5 and S to theposition shown in Figs. 4 and 6. As the jaw I is carried toward the jawD the plate J slides over the top of the jaw D, the inclined sides d dof the triangular notch J drawing the wires along the edge of the jaw Dtoward the center and causing them to enter the recess J 2 as the jaws Iand D approach each other. WVhen the half-cylinders O and II have theirflat sides brought into contact, the distance between the jaws I and Dis equal to twice the diameter of the wires or the depth of the recess Jcausing the wires to be held within the recess J 2 and to be twisted bythe rotation of the half-cylinders O and II. The flanged frame G is thenmoved away from the flanged frame 13 separating the jaws I and D,releasing the twisted wires from the recess J and also from thetriangular notch J and permitting the sliding plate F to be moved alongthe ways I) b by means of the lever-handle L, shifting thehalf-cylinders II and wire-tubes E so the wires held in each of thewire-tubes E will be twisted at the next operation with the wire in thenext adjacent fixed tube. The frame G is then moved toward the frame Bby the hand-lever L and the cylinders again rotated, as alreadydescribed, by the longitudinal movement of the driving-rack C actuatedby the handwheel M, shaft M, and pinion M the take-up roll K beingrotated at every operation of twisting far enough to take up thecompleted row of meshes and draw off a new supply of wire from thewire-spools.

During the operation of twisting, each pair of wires to be twistedtogether are held between the opposing faces of the jaws I and D andinclosed within the recess J 2 in the plate J, which is attached to theupper surface of the jaw I, and as the distance between the oppositesides 0 c of the recess J 2 equals the diameter of the wires the twowires to be twisted will be held side by side and rotated by therotation of the plate J as it is carried by the rotating jaw I. Thatportion of the wires a a inclosed in the recess J 2 will thus be heldfrom twisting, causingthe wires above and below the plate J to betwisted together by the rotation of the plate J, the twist above andbelow the plate being in opposite directions.

The above-described mechanism, consisting of the rotatingtwisting-cylinders having the movements herein described through 0011-nected actuating mechanism and rotating about the fixed wire-tubes E andE forms no part of my present invention, mechanism substantially thesame in its essential features being common in wire-netting machinery.

I do not claim as my invention the method of twisting the wires inwire-netting by a right and left hand twist, as such has heretofore beendone, but by the methods heretofore employed the wires to be twistedhave either been seized by the faces of the jaws I and D and held fromrotation during the rotation of the jaws, causing the wires to betwisted above and below the jaws, or a twisting-pin has been inserted inthe face of one of the jaws passing between the wires to be twisted andentering a recess in the opposite aw.

When the wires are held between the jaws I and D, a lateral strain isbrought upon the jaws tending to separate them, and any wear in therotating cylinders will allow the jaws to become slightly separated sothe wires will slip past each other. If a twisting-pin is employedextending between the wires when the twisting operation is completed andthe pin withdrawn, the wires are left separated, forming an eye the sizeof the twisting-pin between the twisted sections of wire, which isobjectionable for several reasons.

By my present invention the wires are held in the recess J 2 of thefixed plate J, and the strain during the operation of twisting isbrought upon the fixed sides a 0 instead of upon the faces I and D, sothat the strain exerted by the wires or a will not tend to separate thejaws, and when the twist has been completed the wires inclosed withinthe recess J 2 will lie side by side and close together. In theoperation of separating the jaws the frame G is withdrawn from the frameB far enough to allow sufficient space between the face of the jawD andthe tips a c of the plate J to allow the wires a a to pass as thesliding plate F is moved along the ways I) b in order to shift thewire-tubes E and half-cylinders II. \Vhen the jaws are again broughttogether, the wires a a are held against the face of the jaw D, whilethe inclined sides d cl bring the wires together and cause them to enterthe recess J Although I have herein described the operating parts asforming part of a hand-machine, yet it is obvious that they can beconnected with power driven mechanism, by

' which the several operations will be automatically performed in themanner common and well-known in machines for making wirenetting.

hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine for making wire-netting, the combination of wire-tubesthrough which the wires to be twisted are conducted, and a rotatingplate rotating in a plane at right angles with said wire-tubes andprovided with a recess in which the wires to be twisted are held,whereby said wires are twisted in opposite directions above and belowsaid plate, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for making wire-netting, the combination with a pair ofwire-tubes through which the wires to be twisted are conducted, and apair of rotating jaws, of a plate attached to one of said jaws, saidplate being provided with a recess within which the wires to be twistedare held, substantially as described.

3. In a machine for making wire-netting, the combination with a pair ofjaws I and D, of a plate J attached to one of said jaws and arranged toslide over the opposite jaw, said plate having a triangular notch Jprovided with inclined sides d, d, and having a recess J 2 at the apexof said inclined sides.

4. In a machine for making wire-netting, the combination of a stationaryframe E a series of half -cylinders j ournaled in said frame, jaws Dcarried by said cylinders, a frame G capable of a sliding motion towardand away from said stationary frame,'halfcylinders journaled in saidsliding frame, plates J carried by said half-cylinders, said platesbeing provided with inclined sides d, d, and Wire-holding recesses atthe apex of said inclined sides, substantially as described.

5. In a machine for making wire-netting, the combination of a take-upmechanism, by which the completed netting is held, wiretubes throughwhich the wires to be twisted are conducted, and a rotating plateinterposed between said take-up mechanism and said wire-tubes, saidplate being provided with a recess in which the wires to be twisted areheld, so as to be twisted upon opposite sides of said plate by a rightand left hand twist, substantially as described.

Dated this 12th day of February, 1892.

GEORGE FLETCHER WRIGHT.

Vitnesses:

RUFUS B. FOWLER, H. W. FOWLER.

